Love Was Always All Around
by Kristen3
Summary: Sequel to "Falling in Love for Real." Now that Mary is beginning to think things with Steven might lead somewhere, she's decided to bring all of her old friends from the newsroom to Minneapolis so they can meet him. Will this meeting lead to the happy reunion Mary is hoping for?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This came out of a random thought I wasn't even sure was worth doing. But it grew, obviously, and now I've got two chapters and probably one to two more coming. Funny how that works, right? :)

Mary smiled as she stepped off the plane. No matter where in the world she might live, the Midwest would always be her home. A moment later, Steven was beside her. "You know, you don't have to do this," she said.

"I've told you a dozen times already – I _want_ to do this," Steven said. "These people are obviously important to you, so that makes them important to me, too."

A small sigh escaped from Mary as he said that. It was another reminder that Steven was different from most of the men she'd dated before. It was why she couldn't help feeling a bit nervous about what she was going to do here in Minneapolis. But she reminded herself that she was probably worrying too much, as usual.

They quickly made their way to the baggage claim and picked up their luggage. "That's everything," Steven said, looking at their bags. "Now, what time does Rhoda's flight get in?"

Mary checked her watch. "In a couple minutes, actually. We'd better get going if we want to meet her at the gate."

"Right," Steven said, nodding at her before he started walking away quickly.

Mary laughed. "No, Steven, her gate is this way." She pointed behind her, the opposite direction in which he was heading.

"I knew that," Steven said, grinning. "I was testing you." Mary gave him a teasing glance. "So, you said she doesn't suspect a thing?"

"Not as far as I know," Mary replied. "I just told her I had some vacation time coming, and I asked if she felt like flying out here. She said sure." For the past several months, Mary had been living in Washington, D.C., helping Steven with his campaign, which he won. She also found a job at a TV station there, and discovered that doing the news in the nation's capitol made everything she'd done in the past look easy. But she loved the challenge – almost as much as she loved Steven.

They made it to the gate with just a moment to spare. Mary felt a rush of excitement. She and Rhoda hadn't seen each other in almost a year. Luckily, they'd stayed in constant touch, thanks to phone calls, but there was nothing like being together. It would be as if no time had passed.

Mary was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't even realize the plane had landed. Before she knew it, Rhoda had stepped into the airport and found her at once. Mary soon found herself pulled into a tight hug.

"It's so good to see you, kid."

"You, too." All at once, she felt tears in her eyes. She knew it was silly to be so emotional, but she couldn't help it. Everything in her life had changed the moment Rhoda climbed through her window and said those fateful words: "Hello, get out of my apartment!"

Rhoda reached into her purse, eventually finding a Kleenex. "I love you, too, but there's no need to get all teary on me." She handed the tissue to Mary, who laughed, even as she dried her eyes.

"I knew you'd say something like that," Mary said. "And you're right, but I just can't help it. Besides, when I asked you to come, I didn't exactly tell you the truth."

Rhoda rolled her eyes. "As long as we've known each other, you think I can't tell when you're hiding something? I can't wait to meet him!"

As if on cue, Steven stepped forward. He knew enough to give these two their space. "Hello," he said, offering her a hand. "Mary told me a lot about you."

"All good, I hope," Rhoda said, shaking his hand. She shot Mary a look that said, _You weren't kidding – he is cute!_

"Mostly," Steven laughed. "I hope I make a good impression, but from what Mary's said, you'll let me know if I don't."

"Well, you're doing OK so far," Rhoda said. She could certainly see why Mary had fallen so hard for him. No matter what the reason Mary had asked her to come here, Rhoda was glad she'd made the trip.


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take long before Rhoda announced that she was, as usual, starving. At that, Mary insisted on taking her best friend to lunch. Soon, the three of them were seated in a booth at a nearby restaurant. As she got to know Steven, Rhoda found that everything Mary had said about him was true. When she mentioned that she'd never met a Senator before, Steven gave a dismissive wave. "Please don't think it's a big deal. It's just a job. And besides, without journalists like Mary making me look good, I doubt if I could ever get elected!" He gave Mary a one-armed squeeze. It was clear he was as taken with Mary as she was with him.

Mary laughed. "Don't say that! I think a lot of your ideas are great, and you're going to make a real difference in Washington."

Rhoda could see in Mary's expression that she was practically glowing. She'd never seen Mary this head-over-heals over a guy before. For a moment, it made her remember when she'd felt the same way about Joe. But she quickly recovered. There was no need to bring up her romantic failure now. The last thing she wanted to do was dim Mary's obvious optimism.

Soon, the conversation turned to the past. Mary and Rhoda told Steven about some of the highlights of their years together, including many of Mary's memorable parties. "I still remember the look on your face when Lou took that huge serving of veal. You wanted to die!" Rhoda laughed, the memory still as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

"Well, thanks for bringing that up," Mary said. "That was one of the most humiliating nights of my life."

"Oh, come on, kid, I'm just teasing. Steven knows that, doesn't he?"

Steven nodded. "Sure. I mean, who hasn't had an embarrassing moment or two in their life? I remember one time -"

But Rhoda cut him off. "Mare, speaking of Lou, I just thought of something. You wouldn't have asked me to come all the way out here if this was just about _me_ meeting Steven. I would've visited you in D.C. You know that. What's really going on here?"

For a moment, Mary considered protesting, but then remembered what Rhoda had said at the airport. Lying to her best friend was a waste of time. "OK, you're right. You're not the only one I asked to come out here."

"I thought so," Rhoda said. "So who all have you invited?"

Mary sighed, knowing she might as well spill all the details. "Mr. Grant, Murray, and Ted and Georgette, of course."

"OK," Rhoda replied. "And what about…..Phyllis?" Just saying her name made Rhoda recall the fiasco that happened at her wedding. Though she and Phyllis had seen each other since then, she'd never quite been able to forgive her former landlady for forgetting to pick her up.

"I did invite her," Mary answered. "But she's flying out to Europe tomorrow. I don't know why – she started to explain, but, well, you know Phyllis."

The relief Rhoda felt upon hearing that Phyllis would not be coming was more than visible. Mary had to admit she wasn't particularly upset by her friend's absence either.

Steven noticed the way both women reacted to the mention of their former neighbor. He grinned, hoping to break the tension. "The way Mary's gone on about her old coworkers, I feel like I know them all already! I can't wait to meet them."

Mary looked at him, remembering once again how much she loved him. She felt a pang of nervousness at the idea of introducing some of the most important people in her life to a man she cared about this much, but she told herself everything would be fine.

Rhoda saw the look of apprehension on her friend's face and reached across the table, squeezing her hand. Suddenly, she found herself looking forward to seeing everyone, too. As much as she loved her life in New York, there had always been something special about the years she'd spent here in Minneapolis.


	3. Chapter 3

On their way back to the hotel, Steven suddenly got a phone call from Washington. He pulled over immediately. It became clear from his tone that this call was important. Mary and Rhoda exchanged a glance. Clearly their time together as a threesome was over.

A few minutes later, Steven was off the phone. "Sorry. Kind of an emergency back home."

"Is everything OK?" Mary asked. She knew, in his line of work, the smallest things could lead to huge problems.

"It's nothing major, but it looks like I'll be busy for a while," he answered. He hated that his work had interrupted his vacation.

"Oh," Mary said, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Kid, it's OK," Rhoda said. "You've still got me. I know it's been a long time since I've been out here, but you still have stores here, don't you?"

Mary laughed. "We do." Once again, she was grateful for Rhoda. Whenever Mary was upset or worried about something, Rhoda knew just what to say. She turned to Steven. "Well, it looks like Rhoda and I will be busy for a few hours, too."

Steven smiled. "Good. I know you two probably want to catch up."

Soon, Mary and Rhoda were on their way to one of the larger shopping centers in Minneapolis. Being with Rhoda like this took Mary back in time. She loved Steven, but it was easy to forget about his work right now. They spent several hours looking at clothes. Rhoda insisted that Mary would need a whole new wardrobe, as she would now be on the arm of a US Senator.

Mary rolled her eyes. "It's just like Steven said. It's just a job. No big deal."

"Mary, please. This is almost like if you were dating an actor. This is going to change your life."

For a moment, Mary wanted to protest. Sure, she was in the best relationship she'd ever had, but other than that, it wasn't a big deal. Still, some part of her knew Rhoda had a point. She would be in the public eye now, if things with Steven got really serious. The idea scared her a bit.

"Kid, don't worry about it," Rhoda said, once again reading her friend's mind. "If anybody could handle something like this, it's you. You'll be fine."

Mary quickly hugged Rhoda. She would be forever grateful that she'd taken Phyllis' offer to come and look at an apartment in her building. Meeting Rhoda was one of the best things that came out of her decision to move and start her life over.

They gradually made their way to the food court. When they had both gotten their food and sat down, Rhoda looked at Mary and sighed. Even now, she could see the happy glow that surrounded her best friend, a sure sign that she was in love. "Why is it your life always seems to turn out perfectly, and mine doesn't?"

Only then did Mary realize that she hadn't asked Rhoda anything about her life in New York. "What's going on with you?" She reached across the table, squeezing her friend's hand.

Rhoda sighed again. "The same old stuff. Brenda was going with a guy. Everything was going great. She thought she might have actually met someone really special for a change. But he dumped her out of the blue. I hated to see my little sister like that. And, on top of that, my career hasn't been going so great. As usual."

"Oh, Rhoda." Mary's heart broke. For the last couple of years, Rhoda had been working odd jobs here and there, helping design sets for some Broadway and off-Broadway plays, and doing some window-dressing. But nothing ever felt quite right.

Rhoda shrugged. "I mean, I'm not broke or anything, but I wish I could find something permanent, you know?"

Mary nodded. Her work in D.C. had shown her that, no matter what may happen in her life, with Steven or without, the news was where she belonged. There was nothing else she could ever want to do. She'd known that almost from the first day she arrived at WJM. But Rhoda had never had anything close to that. "You'll find something you love. You know you're talented. You just have to figure out where you belong, that's all."

Rhoda hardly knew what to say. Of course Mary saw nothing but positive things in the future. As much as she wanted to, Rhoda just couldn't share Mary's optimism. But she loved Mary for what she'd said. "Thanks, kid."

For a moment, Mary said nothing. Then she glanced at her watch, realizing how late it had gotten. This time with Rhoda had almost made Mary forget why they were both here in Minneapolis. Tomorrow would be the big day. She would be seeing her old friends for the first time in years. She was still a bit nervous, but she couldn't help feeling excited, too.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Leigh Ann ( **leighann415** ) for reading a partial draft of this! :)

The next day, Mary got ready for her reunion. Because of her history with parties, she'd kept this one simple. They would all meet at a restaurant. She was excited to see everyone. They hadn't all been in the same place at the same time in years. But, as Mary put the final touches on her outfit (one of the dresses Rhoda had talked her into buying; she had to admit it did look nice on her), she also couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. What if her friends didn't like Steven? Or he didn't like them? Maybe she should've waited. After all, neither of them had discussed marriage yet, even though Mary had sensed it was a possibility.

As if on cue, Rhoda came into Mary's hotel room. "You look gorgeous!"

Mary smiled, a bit embarrassed. "Thanks. So do you."

Rhoda shrugged. "Please. I've had this dress for years. But that's not the point. Everyone's going to be anxious to see _you_."

"Murray and Mr. Grant love you too, you know. I just keep thinking, what if this is a disaster? I mean, Steven's the best guy I've ever been with. What if this jinxes it?"

"Mare, Lou and everyone else just wants you to be happy. Anybody can see that you are. This won't be a disaster. Trust me."

"Thanks," Mary said, hugging her friend. As usual, Rhoda knew exactly what she needed to hear.

"Where's Steven?" Rhoda asked, looking around.

"Oh, he's getting ready, too. At least he's used to meeting strangers. It's sort of a job requirement for him. But me, I've always preferred to be behind-the-scenes."

Rhoda was about to reiterate that everything would be fine when Steven came out of the bathroom. He wore a tuxedo. "Wow" was all Rhoda could say when she saw him. She tried her best to ignore the pang of jealousy she felt. Steven looked even more handsome than he had before.

Steven could see the two women taking in his appearance. "Well, shall we go?" he asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Mary nodded. "OK. Here goes nothing."

The ride to the restaurant was shorter than Mary had expected. Before she knew it, Steven was pulling into a parking spot. He put the car into park and started to open his door. "Wait," Mary suddenly blurted.

"Is something wrong?" Steven asked, immediately concerned.

"No," Mary replied. "But maybe we shouldn't go in yet. I mean, we're a little early, aren't we?"

Rhoda looked at her watch. "Actually, we're right on time. Kid, I've been telling you, you've got nothing to be nervous about. It's going to be fine."

"Rhoda's right. I'm really looking forward to tonight. Meeting these people will give me a glimpse into how you became who you are today. And that's somebody I love." Steven kissed her.

Mary had to admit that the kiss settled her nerves. She'd been through much worse than this: a dinner party during a blackout, delivering a baby in her own bedroom, and even being fired from her very first job in the news. Compared to all of that, tonight would be easy. "OK," she said, finally getting out of the car.

Rhoda and Steven followed suit, and the three walked into the restaurant. Steven was about to ask the maitre 'd about their reservation when Mary and Rhoda saw a table in the corner where some familiar people were sitting.

Mary quickly signaled to Steven that they'd found their party. Lou and the others had noticed them, too. This was it, the moment Mary had both looked forward to and dreaded.

Lou and Murray stood as they saw Mary walking toward them. Ted, predictably, remained seated, but after an elbow from his wife, Ted stood as well.

Mary hardly knew who to approach first, seeing so many people she loved. But, in the end, it wasn't a tough decision. "Mr. Grant." She could barely say his name for the lump in her throat.

"Mary." Lou was obviously moved, but trying his best to hide it. He leaned forward, kissing her cheek. "It's...good to see you."

"You too." Mary could see in his expression that there was more he wanted to say, but he couldn't seem to find the words. She didn't mind. She smiled, turning to Steven. "Mr. Grant, I'd like you to meet someone. This is Steven Cronin. He's a Senator I met in D.C. a few months ago."

Lou offered his hand. "Call me Lou." He looked the young man over. Over the years, he'd met many of Mary's dates. He didn't like most of them. None of them had lasted anyway. But somehow, he thought things would be different this time. "You know, I've got a few old friends back in D.C. I've heard good things about you."

Steven smiled. "Well, thank you. It's nice to hear that. Mary tells me that everything she knows about news, she learned from you."

For perhaps the first time in his life, Lou Grant blushed. "Well, she taught me a thing or two along the way, too," he muttered. There was an awkward silence. Then, to break the tension, Lou looked at Steven, grinning slightly. "I know Mary seems sweet and innocent, but she's actually been in jail before."

Steven turned to Mary, giving her a look of mock surprise. "You mean I've been dating a felon? How could you not tell me?"

Mary gave him a playful nudge. "I told you about that. It was the time I refused to reveal my source. I was only behind bars for one night."

"She shared a cell with two hookers," Lou said. He vividly recalled visiting her in prison that night. "I wanted her to reveal her source so she could get out, but she refused. That took real guts." He looked over at Mary, and it was clear they were both remembering the same thing, her job interview. It was a moment neither would ever forget.

Now it was Mary's turn to blush. He was making too much of the stand she took by going to jail. She was just doing the right thing.

Before she could say anything more, Mary felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, finding another old friend standing there. "Murray!" She hugged him tightly.

Murray smiled, remembering his old feelings for her. He knew better than to mention them now, but those feelings hadn't gone away. They probably never would.

Mary pulled out of the embrace. "I'm so glad you could come!"

"You think I would've missed this?"

"Well, I know you're busy, with your kids, and your writing."

Murray gave a dismissive wave. "For you, I'd have dropped everything."

Mary smiled. He always was sweet. But then she remembered why she'd invited him here. She turned around, seeing Lou and Steven still in conversation. "There's someone else here I'd like you to meet." Steven quickly excused himself and came beside Mary again. "Steven, this is Murray. He was our news writer."

Steven shook Murray's hand. "Mary says you were always making jokes. I guess that made working on the news a little easier, huh?"

"Well, when you've got so much material around, you can't help but use it." He pointed behind him, where Ted and Georgette were talking. "And, as for making things easier, I have to give credit to Mary. Writing words for Ted Baxter was kind of a thankless job, but somehow, she made it OK."

Mary was, once again embarrassed. "Oh, Murr." She hugged him again. "By the way, where's Marie?" she asked as she broke the hug. She had only then realized that Murray was alone.

"Well, she wanted to come, but one of our grand kids is sick. But she said to tell you she's glad you've found someone. I'm glad, too. You really deserve someone great."

Steven laughed. "Well, I don't know how 'great' I am, but I did get lucky the day Mary came into my campaign office!"

"If Mary likes you enough to bring us all here, you must be pretty special," Murray replied. "But you'd better not hurt her!"

"Oh, don't worry," Steven said. "I have no intention of doing that!"

Mary kissed him then, amazed at how well this night was going.

But, just then, she heard a deep voice, which interrupted the moment. "Hey, Mare, when do I get to meet this guy? I don't see what's so great about him."

That was quickly followed by a much softer voice. "Ted!"

Mary slipped her hand into Steven's, forcing a smile. This might be the hardest part of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Here's the final chapter! I know that I've left things a bit open, but I have no plans for a sequel at the moment. Of course, never say never, though! ;)

Mary shared a glance with Steven, silently praying that Ted wouldn't embarrass her. He had a habit of doing that when she brought her boyfriends into the newsroom.

As soon as Mary and Steven approached, Georgette pulled Mary into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Mary smiled. "You, too. I'm so glad you both could come."

"Yeah, Mare, nice to see you," Ted said. He couldn't help giving Steven a disappointed look.

"Ted, Georgette, this is Steven. He's a Senator I met in Washington."

"I don't see what the big deal is about politicians," Ted said. "I mean, I've heard some can be full of themselves. Who would want to be with a guy like that?"

"Ted! You can't say that!" Georgette said. "I'm sure Steven is a very nice man. Mary deserves the best."

Mary blushed. "Well, thank you, Georgette. I hope someday we're as happy as you and Ted are."

"We are," Georgette said. "Did you know David is going back to school to get _another_ degree?" The motherly pride was evident in her voice.

"That's wonderful," Mary said.

"Yeah," Ted replied. "He's the first person in my family to go to college. Can you believe that?"

"You don't say?" Mary tried her best to sound surprised.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Ted," Steven said, offering his hand. "Mary tells me you were, uh, the center of the WJM newsroom." He glanced at Mary, hoping he sounded sincere. She had told him plenty of stories of Ted's self-absorption and out-of-control ego.

"I don't like to brag, but you can't have a news show without an anchorman, can you?" Ted replied. "Who else could've read the news like me, huh, Mare?"

"No one, Ted," Mary said. She looked at Steven as if to say _, What did I tell you?_

Steven caught her look, now understanding everything she'd told him about the former anchorman. He turned his attention to Georgette. "So, Mary tells me Ted was quite the ladies' man at one time. How'd you finally catch him?"

Georgette smiled. "It was thanks to Mary, actually. She invited me to a party one night, and there was Ted. He was so handsome. It wasn't always easy, but we're happy." She looked over at her husband adoringly.

Mary's heart swelled, knowing she'd had a hand in this. Ted had shortcomings, no one could deny that. But he deserved happiness as much as anyone, and somehow, he'd found it. _I guess we both did_ , Mary thought, looking again at Steven.

At the other end of the table, Rhoda wasn't quite enjoying herself as much as Mary was. She was happy that she'd been right about this not being a disaster, but, still, thoughts of her own life in New York kept creeping in.

"Rhoda, what's wrong?" Lou asked. "I thought you'd be thrilled to be here. I mean, Mary's still your best friend, right?"

"Of course she is. It's not that, it's just…..no, forget it. You don't want to hear about my life."

Murray sat beside Lou, listening to the conversation. "No, come on, you can tell us. We've known you almost as long as Mary has," he pointed out.

"Well, OK. I hate to bring this up on Mary's special night. But my career hasn't been going that great lately. Well, not that it ever was…." She sighed.

Murray nodded knowingly. "We've all been there. Don't forget, we were fired when you-know-who got to keep his job." He pointed over at Ted, making his meaning clear.

"It's not that," Rhoda said. "I've got jobs, designing sets for this play, or that play, but I feel like I just don't know where I fit. You're all in news. You belong there. That's what I want."

"I'm not in news. Not anymore," Murray said. "After seven years of working with Ted, I didn't want to do that."

"Really?" Rhoda asked. "So, what have you been doing all these years?"

"Raising kids, grand kids….and writing a couple of books."

"That's great," Rhoda said. "I had no idea!"

Murray blushed. "Nothing's been published yet, but I think it could happen. It's a lot better than typing up news stories for Ted."

For a moment, Rhoda was quiet, thinking about what Murray said. When he decided not to stay in the news business, he tried something else, and it worked out. Maybe that's what she could do. She thought about going back to window-dressing, or working in a costume shop, as she had before. But neither of those ideas appealed to her. She tried to picture what she might like to do with her life, but nothing came. _But, with the life I've had, what else should I expect_? Suddenly, she realized she might have accidentally stumbled on an idea. "Murray, maybe you're right."

"I am?"

"Yeah. What you said about writing a book. About my life. I know I haven't exactly led the most exciting life ever, but I've lived through a divorce, two cross-country moves…..and of course my mother." Rhoda had never given much thought to what she'd been through, at least not in this light. But it was certainly clear she'd overcome some things. As crazy as it might seem there might be a book in all of it.

Now Murray smiled. "I think that's a great idea. It might be worth trying, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." For the first time tonight, Rhoda really felt excited. She looked over at Mary and Steven, who were still talking to Ted and Georgette. Before she could talk herself out of it, Rhoda walked over. "Hey, kid, guess what?"

Mary was surprised to see Rhoda standing there. She'd been listening to Georgette's update on what David was planning to do when he finished school, as well as Mary Lou's progress in pre-school. "What?"

"I think I know what I want to do. You know, for a career?"

"Yes, of course. What?" Mary could tell that whatever Rhoda had in mind, she was excited about it. After the conversation they'd had yesterday, Mary was glad to see her friend like this.

"I think I'm gonna write a book. About my life. You know, Ma, and the weight thing, of course. And the divorce, and, well, everything else, I guess. Is that crazy?"

Mary hugged her best friend. "Maybe a little. But if it makes you happy, I'll support you. I'm just so glad to see you happy!"

"Yeah, me, too." Rhoda watched as Steven slipped an arm around Mary. Ted, as usual, was too busy going on about his own achievements to even notice. But Mary turned to him, kissing him for a long moment.

For years, Mary had wondered if she'd ever find the fairytale ending she'd always wanted. Even though she loved her single life and career, she had always known there was more to life. Finally, she had found the piece she was missing. And, now, everything fit together perfectly.

 **The End**


End file.
